TOUGH NEWS.

Pollution Hits The Beach

August 09, 1994

More than 2,400 swimming advisories and beach closings were required across the country last year because of polluted water. It's enough to make you want to stay inside!

A group called the Natural Resources Defense Council has kept an eye on coastal water quality for four years, using information provided by the states. The group looks at the 29 states that have either ocean or Great Lakes beaches. Last year:

- More than half the advisories (warnings not to go into the water) or closings occurred along the California coast. (But it is big, to be fair.)

- Only seven states - including Illinois - monitor beaches closely for pollution.

- Only five states - Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania - consistently close beaches when the level of pollution is high.